WYMARRA WYMARRA Consultants Manunda

Engaging with Indigenous Australia— exploring the conditions and wellness for our effective relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Engagement may be for policy development, program development or implementation, and may be a place-specific engagement (see later for examples). Whatever the purpose, linking the engagement to Indigenous aspirations is critical to sustained success. As various studies indicate, genuine community ownership of problems and solutions is more effective than externally derived solutions and programs For example, Vaughan (2011) explains that information communication technology programs that contribute to the wellbeing aspirations of remote communities are sustained by them, whereas those that simply provide access but fail to make the link with Indigenous people's own aspirations fall by the wayside. Furthermore, failure by governments to respond supportively to Indigenous initiatives can lead to worsening socioeconomic conditions that eventually demand a response (Smith 2007). Starting with Aboriginal concerns and strengths and taking time are crucial